Count of Three
by bula ronnie rach
Summary: Hunger Games if Everlark was always a thing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

The steady trickle of the stream nearby and the happy chirping of the birds created the most peaceful atmosphere. Laying there in the meadow, cheek pressed to Peeta's chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat, Katniss could almost forget what day it was. She would have happily lived in this moment for the rest of her life.

' _Which may not be very much longer,'_ her conscience reminded her bitterly.

Katniss sighed, the thought having disturbed her peace, as if a bully had come and knocked down a tower of blocks in a kindergarten classroom. She turned to rest her head on Peeta's chest and looked up at his face.

"Hi," he whispered, eyes fluttering and a goofy smiled spreading across his face.

"Hey," Katniss responded, just as quietly. She quickly hid her face in Peeta's chest again as she felt her eyes burn and tears begin to form.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Peeta asked, sitting up and turning Katniss' head to face him. A sudden burst of anger ran through Katniss as she was reminded of how little Peeta's name was in the Reaping.

"What's wrong!?" Katniss burst out; tears and snot streaming down her face freely. "Are you kidding me Peeta!?"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm sorry, I know," he whispered into her hair, apologizing repeatedly as he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her slight frame.

As the two sat in the meadow sobbing and apologizing a sudden breeze began to move towards them, picking up speed. Peeta looked up into the sky, gasping and scrambling to pull Katniss and himself behind some foliage. The two stood silently, staring up at the hovercraft in awe, squinting as the intense wind made their eyes water. Once the hovercraft was gone it was Peeta's turn to sigh.

"I have to get going. My mom wants me to finish a few cake orders before the Reaping."

Katniss' anger flared again at the mention of Mrs. Mellark. She couldn't believe a mother would be more concerned about business than the fact that her own son could potentially be going off to die.

Peeta laughed as Katniss rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. He placed a kiss on her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair, freeing chunks from her restricting braid.

"I love you," Peeta told her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb comfortingly. At this Katniss broke down for the second time in a single day, uncommon for her but completely understandable on Reaping Day.

She immediately wrapped her arms around Peeta's neck and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shaking form, pressing her closer to his body and dropping kisses to the top of her head. Once Katniss had regained control of her emotions she stepped back out of Peeta's embrace.

"I love you too," she responded before pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.

"Before I forget, I have a surprise for you and Gale." Peeta, exclaimed, pulling away from Katniss to reveal a loaf of bread from the bakery and a few sweets. "Oh, and a cheese bun. Specially made just for you!"

Katniss wrapped Peeta in a tight hug again, unsure if she would ever be able to let him go or repay him for the amount of food he snuck from the bakery for her and Gale's families.

"Thank you, Peeta. You're too kind," she whispered and he promised it wasn't a big deal.

"Okay, I really have to go now, but I'll see you today after the Reaping. No matter what happens," Peeta told her before walking off.

Katniss stood with arms full of baked goods, repeating what Peeta had said over and over in her head. She really hoped he wasn't planning on doing anything stupid if she got reaped.

The snap of a branch underfoot scared her out of her thoughts and she jumped behind a tree, lacking a weapon to defend herself against any Capitol officials who caught her in the woods.

"It's just me, Catnip!"

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief, stepping out from behind the tree to find her best friend Gale.

"Damn you, Gale! You scared me!"

"Sorry, Catnip! What have you got there?"

Katniss held out the goods Peeta had brought her, offering them to Gale. The two found a spot in the meadow where Katniss had just been relaxing with Peeta and dug in to the baked goods, Katniss saving one strawberry tart as a treat for Prim later.

"What did you trade Mr. Mellark for, for all this?" Gale asked incredulously. "I know his hag of a wife wouldn't have given you anything!"

Katniss picked at her cheese bun, not responding to Gale's question. Gale looked up from his food, finally noticing that Katniss was eating a cheese bun, which the Mellark Bakery very rarely made due to the price of cheese. Of course the baker boy had brought Katniss treats on Reaping Day.

"Peeta."

Again Katniss remained silent, avoiding making eye contact with Gale. She knew how much Gale disliked her relationship with Peeta and therefore tried to avoid the topic as much as possible.

The two sat in silence and continued to eat.

"We should just run away," Gale said suddenly.

"Who, the two of us?" Katniss laughed.

"Well, yeah. And our families…"

"Prim and my mother on the run? They wouldn't last a day, Gale!"

"We could always try. Just the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's on the run. Free from the Capitol. Free from the Hunger Games."

Katniss bit her lip knowing she would never run away with her and Gale's families. Not without Peeta at least.

"Good joke, Gale," Katniss responded, standing and starting to walk back towards the edge of the forest and the Seam. Gale trailed behind her, annoyed that she hadn't taken his idea seriously.

"So, how many times is the baker boy's name in the Reaping bowl, huh?" Gale asked, taunting Katniss. He knew it was a minimal number compared to his forty-two.

"Gale, that's not his fault! It isn't his fault his parent's own a bakery and our fathers died in a mine! Just shut up and leave him alone!" Katniss exploded. She stalked towards the fence and shimmied under it before continuing on her way towards her house. "I'll see you at the Reaping!" she called over her shoulder without sparing Gale a glance.

When Katniss entered her house her mother and Prim were dressed and ready to go to the Reaping.

"Well, don't you look pretty!" Katniss said enthusiastically, trying to make her terrified little sister more comfortable with the idea of the Reaping. "I have a surprise for you," Katniss said pulling out the strawberry tart. Prim smiled weakly and thanked Katniss.

Katniss stepped into the tub of lukewarm water her mother had set out and began washing the dirt from her skin. She stepped into the clean, light blue dress reserved especially for Reaping Day. Katniss' mother put her hair up in an intricate braid before telling her how beautiful she looked. Katniss brushed off the compliment and took off towards the front door, grabbing Prim's hand and allowing their mother to trail behind them.

As they reached the town square they herded into roped off areas based on age. Prim refused to let go of Katniss' had to join the other twelve year olds, being forcibly walked away with tear-filled eyes by a peacekeeper.

Katniss stood in the group of sixteen year olds and searched the crowd for multiple people. As she scanned the crowd to her right, in search of Prim, she felt a warm hand take hold of her left one. She whipped around to find Peeta stood next to her, squished into the sixteen-year-old pen as well. The two enveloped each other in a quick hug but were unable to share any words.

Katniss then went back to searching for Prim who she found, squished at the front of the twelve-year-old section with her mother nearby weeping gently with other parents.

As Katniss continued to look for Gale the Mayor began his speech about the history of Panem. Eventually the propaganda video for the Games began and she noticed Gale who was stood right up at the front, a mere three feet from the stage as if waiting for his name to be called. The two teenagers caught each other's eye and smiled, this morning's argument already forgotten.

District twelve's escort Effie Trinket made her way up to the microphone once the propaganda video had faded to black.

"Ladies first!" she cried happily before clip-clopping her way to the bowl of names on the right of the stage. Katnis took a deep breath and held it, unintentionally squeezing Peeta's hand as hard as she could, not noticing that her boyfriend was stood just as still as her, waiting for Effie to sentence yet another girl from District twelve to death.

"Primrose Everdeen!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Katniss remained perfectly still, or so she thought. She could hear her heart beat thumping in her ears and feel her lungs burn, begging for oxygen as she held her breath. Peeta was holding onto her waist as he had caught her as she started to fall after Prim's name was called out.

Peeta gave her hand a tight squeeze to bring her back to reality. Katniss blinked rapidly, as if awakening from a dream. The crowd was murmuring sullenly as Prim began making her way towards the stage at the front of the town square.

Suddenly, startling even Peeta, Katniss launched into action.

"Prim!" she screamed, pulling herself from Peeta's grip and pushing through the crowd of District 12 teenagers. "Prim!"

Katniss grabbed Prim's arm just as she began to ascend the steps to the stage, pulling Prim back and volunteering herself as tribute.

"No, Katniss! No!" Prim demanded, pulling on her older sister's arm angrily as she tried to ascend the steps.

Katniss turned to Prim and knelt down to her level. She wiped Prim's fallen tears and smoothed the strands of hair that had fallen into her face back.

"Prim, go find mom." Katniss explained calmly. She then noticed Peeta was standing right behind her sister. "Go with Peeta and find mom. I'll be okay."

Peeta swiftly scooped Prim up into his arms where she cried and tried to wriggle free. Peeta ran his fingers down the length of Katniss' braid as he had done so many times before then suddenly turned and walked back into the crowd of children.

Katniss blinked back the tears forming in her eyes, refusing to cry in front of all of Panem. She could not be pegged as weak or an easy target so early in the Games.

Once Katniss had ascended onto the stage Effie began to gush over Katniss in excitement.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!"

The silence that met Effie's statement was almost deafening. The people of District 12 were not impressed or inspired. They were angry that the Games were even happening.

Slowly, individuals in the crowd began raising three fingers in a traditional salute meant to show admiration and say goodbye to loved ones at a funeral. Katniss gulped at the idea of a funeral.

Haymitch, the only Victor from District 12, then decided to make a very drunken commotion, taking some of the attention off of Katniss, much to her approval.

Katniss then began searching the crowd for familiar faces, so distracted in her search that she hadn't even realised Effie was now reaping a male tribute.

"Peeta Mellark!"

Katniss' head whipped towards Effie painfully, shocked at the sound of Peeta's name.

The world tilted slightly and this time she didn't have Peeta to keep her upright. This was like a horrible nightmare. The odds were definitely not in her favour today.

A path cleared through the children revealing Peeta, still holding Prim and standing next to Katniss' mother, looking shocked. Prim was still in hysterics refusing to let go of Peeta now.

Katniss watched as Peeta gently, but forcibly removed Prim's grip on him, placing her next to her mother.

Peeta and Katniss' eyes locked as Peeta made his way towards the stage. No one volunteered for Peeta, not even his older brothers. They knew that Peeta would be going into that arena as soon as Katniss volunteered as tribute.

Peeta and Katniss stood close together, hands clutching the each other for support as Mayor Undersee began to recite the Treaty of Treason. After his speech he foolishly motioned for the tributes to shake hands, despite their interlocked fingers. Instead, Peeta leaned down and placed a soft kiss to Katniss' lips.

The Panem anthem then began and the teenagers turned back to the crowd.

Katniss stood, cheeks blazing with embarrassment at having just kissed Peeta in front of the whole district. She then realised how ridiculous such a thought was.

She was entering the arena to the 73rd Hunger Games in mere days. She needed to get her priorities straight if she wanted to get Peeta out of this thing alive.


End file.
